Right now, Orange County Public Schools said it has about 20 openings available for the 98 unassigned educators. The district told News 6 it has until Oct. 2 to fill those vacancies. Educators who are not placed by then will be let go, though the district said they will be notified if openings become available later.

The Florida Board of Education on Wednesday passed rules for the use of artificial intelligence in K-12 public schools and state colleges, including parental consent and a prohibition on using AI for certain graded assignments.

Enrollment at Orange County Public Schools has fallen more than expected this year, and the school district is scrambling to deal with the fallout. The district sent a message to parents and families this week to announce a temporary hiring freeze for available positions.

School zone speed cameras in St. Cloud generated nearly $563,000 in collected funds and helped reduce speeds while they were active, according to the St. Cloud Police Department’s 2026 annual report.

GROW Healthy Kids, a nonprofit focused on whole-child wellness, is distributing more than 1,200 recess kits to 41 K-5 public schools across nine Central Florida counties. Each kit is stocked with classic play supplies — think jump ropes, scoops, balls and cones — designed to get kids moving and interacting with one another.

School threats are something Central Florida communities have seen far too often. Now, Osceola County officials are taking action by launching a new initiative to remind students of the serious consequences of making threats and empowering everyone in the community to speak up.

Orange County Public Schools is reporting a sharp decline in enrollment this school year, with more than 7,600 fewer students than last year. The decrease is affecting the largest school district in Central Florida as districts across the state grapple with declining enrollment and the financial and staffing challenges that come with it.

For the first time in eight years, Orange County Public Schools is about to get a new leader — and in the only Florida county where voters, not the board itself, choose the school board chair, that choice carries unusual weight. The seat is officially nonpartisan. The race between Alicia Farrant and Angie Gallo has been anything but.

Local and state education leaders joined students Tuesday as Orange County Public Schools kicked off the new school year at Pershing School in Orlando. The celebration came as Orange County is among several Florida districts grappling with budget challenges driven, in part, by declining enrollment. The district has cited declining birthrates, housing trends, federal immigration policies and expansion of Florida’s school voucher program as contributing factors to the drop in student enrollment.

The School District of Osceola County is moving closer to installing stop-arm enforcement cameras on school buses. Transportation Director Orville Watson told News 6 on Monday that the cameras are on the way.

Orlando has installed 21 speed cameras in school zones in an effort to slow drivers down and improve student safety. The cameras will begin issuing mailed warnings on Aug. 11 for drivers recorded going more than 10 mph over the school-zone speed limit.

Moms for Liberty changed the political make-up of school boards across the state of Florida through a commitment to endorsing school board candidates. Today, Moms for Liberty Florida has not made any contributions to local school board candidates across Florida and is poised to be just a minor player this cycle, according to campaign finance records, interviews with former local members and experts on culture war movements and a survey of public social media pages for local chapters, some of which are now defunct.

On Monday, a redesigned food pantry and lounge was unveiled at Seminole High School’s 9th Grade Center — one of five schools across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, and Lake counties to receive a makeover through the foundation’s Renovate to Educate program. The renovations were made as an estimated 20,000 students across those five counties are currently experiencing homelessness.

The first day of school in Lake County will also be day one of a new school bus camera program to catch people violating laws around school buses. The school district says 240 buses will be equipped with the stop-arm safety cameras on Monday, Aug. 10.

With the first day of school just around the corner, the School District of Osceola County is turning its attention to artificial intelligence. The district is holding a workshop Tuesday focused on AI implementation, giving the School Board an update on how AI is being used to support students, employees and operations.

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria F. Vazquez announced Monday she will retire at the end of the 2026–2027 school year, closing a 35-year career in education that took her from a classroom teacher to the leader of one of the largest school districts in the country.

Orange County Public Schools leaders are considering whether to ban e-bikes and electric scooters on school campuses following concerns about student safety.

Members of the Orange County School Board will meet Tuesday to discuss proposed rules and restrictions for student use of e-bikes and e-scooters. Under the new rules, elementary school students would be prohibited from bringing motorized micromobility devices to schools.

The Lake County School District will be looking for a new superintendent. Diane Kornegay, who has served as the district superintendent since 2017, announced on Monday that she will retire at the end of the next school year.

Seven Central Florida school districts garnered “A” grades in the latest report card released this week. Individual school grades were also released. We've listed all of the school grades.

This month, Orange County Public Schools launched its first-ever “Summer Production Series,” with a performance set for this weekend.

Orange County Public Schools leaders on Tuesday reflected on a year marked by school closures, staffing reductions and financial challenges, while warning that additional budget decisions could be necessary as student enrollment continues to decline.

For students at seven Orange County schools, the last day of school was also a sad goodbye to their community campuses, which are closing as part of a district consolidation plan. Thousands of students will have to transition to new campuses next year.

The Seminole County school superintendent is urging parents to talk to their kids after two students at two different high schools were arrested Thursday, accused of having firearms on the campuses.

Several longtime teachers at Millennium Middle School, including a Teacher of the Year, will not be returning next school year after the district chose not to renew their contracts. At Millennium Middle specifically, 17 positions were not reappointed. Of those, four are not being filled due to a loss of staffing allocations. Across Seminole County Public Schools, 243 positions were not reappointed at the school level, and 61 at the district level.

How should Orange County’s schools allow AI usage? The school board discussing that issue today, with the hopes of having a policy in place before the next school year. The proposal bans OpenAI programs and chatbots for emotional support, and but allows it for instruction in specific cases.

A key online learning system used by thousands of schools and universities is back after a cyberattack knocked it offline, creating chaos as students tried to study for finals.

In Titusville, a 60-day warning period for those speeding in a school zone during school hours is coming to an end next week. Police have been using cameras to catch drivers with a heavy foot.

Deltona High School is now the first school in the nation to test a drone system designed to respond to emergencies — including active shooter situations — directly on campus.

Almost two years after Brevard Public Schools started putting metal detectors in all high schools, the district is now preparing to put metal detectors in all 12 middle schools.

The district is holding a workshop to discuss new guidelines for AI use.

Opposition is growing in an Orlando neighborhood as residents push back against a proposal to open a new high school near Lake Cherokee, citing concerns over traffic, parking and safety ahead of a public meeting Monday evening.

Students, get ready to start your summers early. Brevard Public Schools has decided to end the school year before Memorial Day this year.

Florida stepped in last week to help manage the distressed finances of two rural school districts, and that could be just an inkling of what’s to come for school districts across the state, state leaders say, as enrollment continues to decline.

Just days before the start of track season, parents at Legacy Middle School reached out to News 6, mentioning they were concerned after the school’s track was suddenly torn up for construction. We took those concerns to the Orange County School District.

Several Volusia County high schools received bomb threats Monday morning, prompting an investigation and an increase in law enforcement on campuses around the county.

A month after some high school students left campuses to protest ICE, Brevard County’s school board is considering harsher punishment for students who walk out of class that would extend to anyone affiliated with the district who encourages a disruption to school, not just the kids."

The Orange County school board is holding public hearings Tuesday night for closure plans for seven public schools. How did we get here? It depends on who you ask.

The Orange County school board is holding public hearings tonight for closure plans for seven public schools, and it’s the last time parents and the community can plead to keep the schools open.

Osceola County School District is considering hiring a third-party consultant to persuade families to return students to district schools, a step that could cost $935 for each student who re-enrolls.

The Brevard County high school teacher who was essentially fired by the district because she used a student’s preferred name without parental permission won an arbitration in the case. Talking to News 6 on Friday, Melissa Calhoun called the decision a win for all teachers, even though BPS still has no plans on rehiring her.

News 6 has obtained internal documents that show a teacher in Seminole County who was arrested this week on sex and drug charges had been warned before about her communication with students, and other actions during her time with the school district.

Orange County's Eccleston Elementary is one of seven schools the district is considering shutting down, citing declining enrollment and rising costs. But parents fear their students will now be forced to walk a longer and more dangerous route to their new school if that happens.

A confrontation between neighbors about a man allegedly speeding down a South Daytona road led to gunfire and a man’s arrest Wednesday afternoon, prompting a large police response and forcing South Daytona Elementary School to alter its dismissal procedures, authorities said.

A workshop in Orange County on Tuesday discussed a plan to potentially consolidate seven public schools to deal with falling enrollment.ng enrollment.

An Osceola County school is trying to reassure the community after someone posted a picture of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on the school’s morning TV announcements.

A 9-year-old and his mom are sorting out a scare in Brevard County. On Monday afternoon, Alicia Aiken said Endeavour Elementary School sent the boy home and told him to walk to his house two miles away across a major highway.

A Florida Senate bill would allow parents to opt out of vaccines if they conflict with their conscience, adding to an already-existing exemption for religious beliefs. The bill would also allow Ivermectin to be sold without a prescription.

An Osceola County mother says her 13-year-old son was put in an unsafe situation after multiple students were forced to sit on the floor of a school bus due to overcrowding.

The State Board of Education on Wednesday took up a report that showed the greatest needs for teachers. For example, about 8,900 of the 37,200 total English courses taught in Florida's public schools had teachers during the 2024-2025 school year not certified in the field, according to the report.

School threat hoaxes can cost upwards of $10,000 to respond to and investigate, on Central Florida sheriff said after a trio of school threat hoaxes in a five-day-span. But the ripple effects extend beyond wasted taxpayer dollars.

Statewide, the Florida high school graduation rate is at 92.2%, up from 89.7% the previous year. Central Florida's school districts are also touting improved rates.

Truancy is a significant issue across Central Florida, where six counties—Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola and Volusia—have rates above the state average for students missing 21 or more days. To intervene early, legislators are considering HB 1181 and SB 1190, which would create a mandatory alert system. This system would require school districts to notify parents when students reach truancy levels.

Ongoing construction along Oxford Road near English Estates Elementary School in Seminole County has parents concerned about student safety as children navigate blocked and damaged sidewalks during their daily walks to school.

Bonneville, Chickasaw, Eccleston, McCoy, Meadow Woods, and Orlo Vista elementary schools, and Union Park Middle School in Orange County could all potentially close. An email obtained by News 6 explains what could happen to the schools after.

Cape Canaveral city leaders got their shot at convincing the Brevard County school board not to close Cape Canaveral’s only school on Tuesday, saying if the city loses the school, it also effectively loses its identity.

A police report obtained by News 6 Thursday reveals more details about why law enforcement was concerned about a possible threat earlier this month at a Seminole County middle school. The boy seen on school security cameras holding the clarinet “in the position of a shouldered rifle” was also dressed in camo and wearing a tactical vest.

Orange County school board members will hold a special meeting on Tuesday at 1 p.m. to discuss the possible closure of several schools as the district grapples with declining enrollment.

Orange County school board members expressed concern and confusion Tuesday surrounding the potential implications of a recently enacted law that allows charter schools to move into underused schools in the district.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell is meeting with families at the two schools to learn more about how they feel about possibly closing Cape View Elementary and doubling the enrollment at Roosevelt Elementary, seven miles away in Cocoa Beach.

Orange County Public Schools wants to know if it should move its start times.

Eustis Elementary School has been around for 100 years, which is why the district is prioritizing community input on this project. The county school board is discussing the proposal at its board meeting on Monday evening at 6 p.m.

During a town hall-style meeting at city hall, concerned parents of the 270 students who could be relocated from Cape View Elementary to Roosevelt Elementary, seven miles away in Cocoa Beach, spoke before the Cape Canaveral city council and BPS superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell, who was in attendance as well.

For the past nine years, Boys2Men has mentored nearly 400 boys in Orange County. This year alone, Ings says the program is working with 150 students, helping them process emotions and make better decisions.

A Sabal Point Elementary paraprofessional resigned after self-reporting “concerning thoughts” to a school resource officer, according to Seminole County Public Schools.

What were you thinking about when you were in middle school? On Friday morning in Osceola County, these teens were telling community leaders why they wanted to pass a law.

Vineland Lakes is a tuition-free charter school that works with the Osceola County School District to provide an accelerated learning program for students behind on credits.

Four Volusia County high schools now have metal detectors in place as part of their security protocol, according to an update from the school district Tuesday. More metal detectors are on the way.

The new building, funded in part by the half-cent sales tax, brings a modern media center, new administrative offices, art and music classrooms, and redesigned pick-up and drop-off areas to the Spring Hill community in DeLand.

Brevard County public school buses are now equipped with AI-powered cameras that capture drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Starting Wednesday, those caught will receive a $225 ticket in the mail.

It’s official: the Florida Department of Health is beginning to create the rule that will get rid of some vaccine mandates in Florida. Here's how you can stay up-to-date on it.

After conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed during a college event on Wednesday, Florida’s education commissioner is putting out a warning to teachers in the state.

Orange County’s public school district was expecting a large decrease in enrollment this year, but officials say it’s more than they expected. Now the district is going to reassign more than 100 teachers to deal with the changes.

Police officers in Ocala took a student into custody after a gun was found on a bus to a Marion County elementary school.

The announcement that Florida leaders will try to eliminate vaccine mandates in the state drew praise and criticism across the state.

A portable on an Orange County Public Schools administrative campus along John Young Parkway may look unassuming, but inside are shelves of donations for some of the county’s most needy students.

Galileo School for Gifted Learning’s Skyway campus is making waves with a unique water science project funded by the Blue School Grant from St. John’s River Water Management District.

Students at South Sumter Middle School in Webster were evacuated while law enforcement investigated a reported bomb threat.

LGBTQ+ History and Awareness Month will remain on the Orange County Public School Board calendar after the school board voted down a proposal to remove it this week.

Data obtained by News 6 from Orange County Public Schools shows the district identified 8,828 homeless students last year, up over 50% since the 2019 school year. What that means for families and for the district.

Starting Aug. 13, drivers caught speeding in one of three school zones in Mount Dora will receive a warning. After the 45-day warning period, those warnings could lead to a $100 fine.

Marion County Public Schools announced test scores from the 2024-25 school year, showing notable year-over-year improvements using the state’s new testing procedures across all grade levels.

Jacob Tolle just finished his sophomore year at Lake Howell High School, where his teachers selected him for a once-in-a-lifetime educational trip to Iceland. The sticky situation: he didn’t think his family could afford it. The sweet solution: his great-grandmother’s famous strawberry and fig jam recipe.

On the 105th day of what was supposed to be a 60-day legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a bill to allow charter schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools.

A group of Orange County high school students will protest Tuesday afternoon against proposed changes to advanced academic programs, a move they say could impact their access to college-level coursework.

When people think of homelessness, the image is people living on the streets or panhandling. But there are 3,485 students in Seminole County Public Schools, according to district data. Why Central Florida is seeing more homeless youth.

Orange County currently leads the state in student homelessness, according to the school district. Our partner, Vox Populi, looked at how schools help homeless students in west Orange County.

Among the 73,558 students in Osceola County schools, there is a segment of students—3,314, at last count—who struggle with more than projects, peer pressure, testing, and tardiness. These students face all those things in addition to some form of homelessness.

Volusia County Public Schools says it will pursue “all available legal remedies” to get a school developed on a piece of land in DeBary, despite threats of legal action from the city.

A bill in Tallahassee which would require EpiPen and anaphylaxis training for some schools is one step closer to becoming law.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill that will allow school districts to get around 2023 requirements for later start times for public and charter middle and high schools this week, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.

The Trump administration is moving to cancel $1 billion in school mental health grants, saying the award reflect the priorities of the previous administration.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis announced a program to bring Hope Florida to school districts at an event at Fruitland Park Elementary School in Lake County Wednesday.

A bill championed by an Orange County mother that would require EpiPen and anaphylaxis training in some school programs is a step closer to getting to Gov. DeSantis’ desk.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools.

Supporters of a Brevard County teacher losing her job next year because she used a student’s preferred name without parental permission took their protests to the school board on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the district superintendent defended the decision in an exclusive interview with News 6’s Lisa Bell.

Volusia County Schools is considering spending $8 million on a piece of land in DeBary to build a new school. However, the city has already stated that the land cannot accommodate a new school.

At dismissal Thursday, students at Satellite High School rallied in support of a teacher who won't be returning to the classroom next year.

Thousands are signing a petition to try to help a teacher get her job back at Satellite High School. Brevard Public Schools said it isn’t renewing Melissa Calhoun’s contract for next year because she called a student by the name they wanted to be called by, not their legal name.

Florida lawmakers have hit snooze on a repeal of later school start times for middle and high schools, revising the House and Senate versions of the bill to keep the new times but adding exemptions for schools that aren’t yet able to comply.